


Wanted

by Kiki9627



Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Child Abuse, Childhood Trauma, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-12 23:30:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13557876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiki9627/pseuds/Kiki9627
Summary: (I apologize in advance for the terrible summary you are about to be faced with)Soren is being abused by his father and his mother doesn't seem to care about his existence. But through Ike and his family, Soren just might find the love and family he needs.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm hoping this one will be a tear jerker. Please let me know if I've succeeded or dropped the ball.

Chapter 1

_Stop your crying!_

A dark haired little boy tried to stifle his tears as the bigger, stronger children threw slurs and first at him. He curled in on himself, wanting nothing more than to be out of their grasp. Yet they surrounded him. Where could the teacher be? Why was he left alone in his agony?

_You are nothing more than filthy trash! Not worth the air you breathe!_

“Leave him alone!” a voice shouted over the names and insults in his ears, “I said leave him alone!”

Suddenly, the pain stopped, the laughing and the torment stopped. He was finally given relief.

“Are you alright?” a soft, kind voice asked, “I can go get the nurse if you want.”

When he finally trusted himself to look up, he saw the kindest blue eyes he'd ever seen.

“My name's Ike,” the friendly boy smiled as he offered a hand, “What's yours?”

“Soren,” he answered with a weak, unsure voice.

***

_When will you learn how useless you are?_ Soren could still hear his father's words, like a mantra in his head, even hours after the initial attack.

“Alrighty everybody!” Mrs. Laura called for her young students to pay attention, “I want everybody to pair up and share things you like about each other. It can be a talent, a hobby, a characteristic or a habit. I want you to see positivity in each other and yourselves.”

_Worthless!_ He seemed to bare his teeth at the child as he kicked at his limp form.

“Do you want to pair up with me?” Ike asked his best friend.

_Stupid!_ Tears streaked his face but no amount of crying could or would stop the man.

Soren could only nod in agreement.

_No one will ever love you! Not even your damnable mother!_ He stopped the onslaught just long enough to drag the limp child to his mother's feet. She moved just a slightest bit to inch away from his frail form; the sound of her ruffling dress echoing in his ears.

“I’ll go first,” Ike offered with a smile, “I like how smart you are.”

_She won’t even look at you. I could beat you all day long and she wouldn’t raise a brow._ He knew he was being lifted up by his hair but he was numb to the pain at this point. All he could think about was the pulsing in his sides and the ache in his chest.

“I like how kind you are,” Soren responded softly.

_Pathetic! Trash! Fucking disgrace!_

“You really think I’m kind?” Ike asked with a bright smile.

“Of course,” Soren responded immediately.

Ike’s smile only grew.

***

Soren struggled through most days, hearing the hate his father spewed at all times. And if it weren’t his father's voice he heard, it was the other children. Mocking, jabbing, laughing, anything they could do to him. Most of the adults let it slide as long as they could claim ignorance to the situation. But not Ike, he would chase the bullies away and make sure none of them touched his friend.

“Do you want to come over to my house?” Ike asked excitedly, “I asked my mom and dad and they said they would love to have you over!”

For a minute, he didn’t answer, just stared at the bright eyed boy in disbelief.

“Why?” his brows furrowed while his lips pursed.

“So we can do homework or play games,” Ike shrugged, not expecting to be questioned.

“No, I mean,” he took a deep breath, despite the burning in his side it cause, “Why do they want me over?”

Ike’s head tilted while he contemplated how to respond. He knew his friend was shy, but why be shy about his parents? Their expressions matched each other’s so well, a stranger would think they were playing a game.

“Cause you’re my friend,” Ike smiled brightly.

The admission was enough to make Soren gasp a little bit before he finally nodded happily, his hair falling in his face.

***

Soren shakily, softly, approached his father. He watched the giant man’s back as he bent over a desk, scribbling on parchments the boy couldn’t see.

“Excuse me,” Soren practically mumbled as he fiddled with his thumbs, “I don’t mean to, um, interrupt. I was…wondering if I can, uh, maybe, um, go to…a friend’s house?”

Ashnard rose his head slowly, turning in his chair to glare down at his son. After regarding the boy for a solid minute, he turned his chair around completely and began to undo his tie.

“Depends,” his large hands deftly worked to undo the buttons of his suit pants, “How hard are you willing to work for it?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember: I'm trying to make you cry. Let me know if I'm succeeding or failing

Chapter 2

“Now remember son,” Ashnard growl while his heavy hand rest on Soren’s tiny shoulder, “Not a word about what goes on behind closed doors. If you say anything to anyone, I will beat you so badly you won’t see this friend of yours for weeks.”

Soren softly nodded, making a tiny whimpering noise in the back of his throat before Ike and his parents walked up to them. Ike was beaming with excitement, dragging his father along while his mother carried a toddler.

“Slow down son,” the father laughed heartily before coming face to face with Ashnard, “It’s nice to meet you, my name’s Greil.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” he smiled back, shaking Greil’s free hand, “Ashnard. And this must be your wife?”

“Elena,” she nodded, moving her child in her arms, “And this is Mist, Ike’s little sister.”

“What a beautiful family,” Ashnard grinned.

***

Ike’s house was big and warm and so welcoming. There were pillows on the couch, pictures on the walls, art on the fridge. Soren was in awe as he looked around the home. Eventually the boys settled in Ike’s room to finish up their school work before deciding what to do later on.

“Dinner’s ready!” Greil called from down stairs.

It’d been so long since Soren was given a plate with anything on it, he wasn’t entirely sure what to do. Tentatively, he took a few bites before he started to scarf it down.

“Honey, slow down and breath,” Elena soothed as she rubbed his back, chuckling a bit, “Nobody’s going to take it from you.”

He stopped all movement, swallowing what was in his mouth, and meekly bowed his head.

“I-I’m sorry ma’am,” his voice quivered, fearing a swift slap.

Elena threw her husband a worried look before she turned her attention back to him, gently rubbing small circles on his back.

“It’s not a big deal buddy,” Greil chuckled, “Just slow down a bit. We have to tell Ike the same thing almost every day.”

“Dad!” Ike whined from his seat next to Soren.

***

“What do you think that reaction was about?” Elena wondered as she got ready for bed, all the children already tucked in and asleep, “He was sheepish at best all day and at times he looked like he was bracing himself.”

“Maybe Ashnard is strict,” Greil shrugged, stretching out under their blankets, “Maybe he’s just a shy kid. There’s no telling, honey.”

***

As the days passed, they turned to weeks, and then to months, and before the boys knew it, summer had arrived. Ike loved every minute of it, using the weather as an excuse to escape the confines of the house and jump into their inflatable pool. Soren didn’t care for it though. His father never hit him in the face or left marks on his lower legs or arms, but with the summer heat, it was difficult to keep the layers on that covered the bruising and the scars.

“Come on!” Ike called, shooting water at Soren with a water gun, “Get in the pool already!”

Soren giggled as the water splashed on him, it was gentle contact. Like the back rubs that Elena provided, like the hand holding he and Ike shared, like the tug on his hair that Mist was known for.

“I don’t have a shirt to change into,” he complained, finding any reason to avoid getting in the water.

“Then take that one off,” Ike continued shooting water at his feet.

“But then I’ll get cold!” he protested.

“Then leave it on and you can borrow one of mine.”

“Fine!” Soren threw up his hands, exaggerating his exasperation.

The two played in the water, splashing each other, pretending to be sharks, making silly jokes just between the two of them, until Elena called the two in for dinner.

“It’s freezing!” Soren’s teeth rattled as he shivered from the cold of the AC.

“How about you boys go clean up and then we’ll have supper,” Greil laughed and shook his head.

Ike decided they would share a bath, to save time since he was hungry. No matter the excuse, Soren couldn’t find a valid reason not to that Ike didn’t have a solution for.

“What happened?” Ike gasped when he caught a glimpse of his friend’s mis-colored skin.

“I…I um…” he stammered, unable to come up with a reason, “I f-fell.”

“When?” he questioned, gently laying his fingers on the edges of the bruising.

“The other day,” he shrugged, “When I was home.”

 _Who the fuck do you think you are? You’re a filthy piece of branded trash! Be thankful I even let you have friends!_ His father screamed for hours, kicking him ruthlessly, over a broken vase that had been an unwanted gift from a co-worker. He had curled up in a ball to try to protect his front but his back was left to the man’s non-existent mercy.

 _You’ll be lucky if I don’t break a piece of you!_ His screaming wouldn’t stop.

 _I didn’t do it!_ Soren cried back, trying to defend himself but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

“Don’t worry,” Soren cleared his throat as he stepped into the warm bath, “It doesn’t hurt that bad.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't handle the wait any longer so y'all are getting this about 7 hours early.

Chapter 3

First grade was going to start in a week and Soren couldn’t be more excited. He’d be able to spend most of the day with Ike and away from his father. He’d get to work on fun projects. He’d have access to a library again. But his year was delayed when his father had grabbed him by the hair and slung him into a wall in a drunken rage. His nose had broken and his father refused to let him be seen by teachers in his current state.

Soren cradled his aching face while he rocked himself next to the wall. His mother sat on an overwhelmingly large couch across from him but she made not a single move to check on him.

***

“You’re back!” Ike cheered when Soren sat at the desk next to him, “I was starting to worry.”

“Sorry,” he half smiled through his lie, “I was sick.”

***

Ashnard’s attacks became more malicious and brutal. Often, Soren was thrown down the stairs into the basement and left there for days. He found it difficult to keep track of how long his punishment would last and even more difficult to figure out what he had done to deserve it.

He wasn’t able to visit Ike and his family as often but when he did, they managed to keep him the whole weekend. They would go to the store together, the playground, on different adventures to see the local tourist traps.  He was his happiest with them, he felt like he was home when he was with them.

“Hey guess what!” Ike jumped excitedly in front of Soren’s desk, “My dad got me a baseball and a bat! You have to come over so that we can play!”

“Okay,” Soren smiled softly.

***

“Remember _not_ to aim at the windows!” Greil shouted from inside while the boys got ready to play in the backyard.

“Yes sir!” Ike called back, baseball in hand and bat over shoulder, “You want to throw or swing first?”

When he simply shrugged, Ike passed him the bat. They placed down makeshift bases so that they could really play and switched off after 3 strikes or an accomplished hit. They were having tons of fun until the ball bounced off the bat and Ike sent it flying into the kitchen window.

Ike’s jaw dropped while Soren cringed, not sure what to do.

When Greil came out, frowning and annoyed, Soren put himself in front of Ike quickly.

“It was my fault!” he declared, raising his hands in surrender, “I did it! Please don’t hurt him!”

Greil was taken back by the request, his face falling as he tried to piece together a reason for the boy’s panic.

“Why would he hurt me?” Ike questioned softly, “It was just an accident.”

“I…” Soren mumbled before tears started flowing from his terrified eyes.

Elena came rushing out to see what happened, instinctively going to the crying boy.

“Honey, honey, it’s okay,” she soothed as she wiped his tears away before turning to her husband with an angry look, “Greil, what did you do?”

“Nothing!” he backed a step away before crouching down by the boys.

“What happened?” Elena questioned while she brought Soren into her arms, rubbing circles into his back.

“We were just playing but I hit the ball wrong and it flew into the window,” Ike explained, bewildered by his friend’s reaction, “He tried to take the blame because…he thought dad was going to hurt me.”

The admission caused Elena to flinch, accidentally squeezing Soren, making him hiss in pain. Elena released him and gently raised his shirt to look at the area she had been touching. His back was covered in dark bruises and shallow lumps.

“Oh my god,” Greil huffed as he examined the boy’s back, “What? Who did this Soren?”

“I fell,” he shook his head as he cried, “I fell.”

“Soren, please,” Elena softly pleaded, holding his cheeks and looking into his eyes, “Please tell us the truth. Who did this to you?”

“I can’t tell you,” he started crying harder, fighting his urge to cling to Elena, “He said…he said he w-would-”

He started bawling in Elena’s arms, wiping his eyes on her shoulder and clinging to her.

“I don’t wa-want him to hurt Ike too,” he tried to explain through his hysteria, “I can’t tell you.”

Greil looked at his wife in bewilderment. He wasn’t sure if he should call the boy’s father, 911, or CPS. He gently guided Ike back inside so that Soren could have some space to breath and calm down.

“Whenever we take baths or change into our PJs,” Ike started to admit to the man, tears making silent tracks down his face, “He had bruises but he always told me that he fell or tripped or bumped into something. I didn’t know he was lying.”

“It’ll be okay Ike,” Greil assured him, “There was no reason for you to suspect he was lying. Is he bullied a lot at school?”

“Yeah but they don’t ever touch him,” Ike explained, “Not since I hit Kezhda for pushing him.”

“First of all,” Greil sighed, “You shouldn’t hit people. Second, thank you for sticking up for him.”

“Greil,” Elena came into the house with tears running down her face and Soren in her arms, “We need to call CPS.”


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The following days were filled with lawyers, police, investigators, and social workers. Ike had long lost count how many people asked him if he ever saw Ashnard hit his best friend. Greil and Elena argued with Soren’s social worker about where he would be staying, who would be his care giver, how long he would be there. Eventually they were able to convince her and the judge that it would be in Soren’s best interest for him to stay with Ike and his family.

During every meeting with a judge, there were people with signs, half screaming about the sins of a marriage between beorc and laguz and the other half advocating for brandeds’ rights. Elena and Greil did everything they could to shield the children from the angry crowds.

On the day of the trial, Ashnard plead guilty to everything that was put against him; physical, mental, emotional, and sexual abuse and neglect. The judge tacked on ‘hate crimes’ since Soren was branded and Ashnard showed obvious disgust over the fact. Elena wept in the jury while she watched Soren give his testimony shakily and soft. Almedha was also charged with neglect and criminal involvement.

As she walked by Soren she seemed to snap into reality, or out of it, wailing and screaming to let her be with her son.

“He’s my boy!” she cried, struggling against the police that dragged her away, “He’s my son! You can’t take him from me!”

***

“Alright boys,” Elena cooed as she tucked them in, “It’s time to settle down and go to sleep.”

“Yes ma’am,” they both responded, Ike pouting and Soren yawning.

Elena almost couldn’t bear how cute they were as they fell asleep, Ike gently snoring already while Soren’s eyes fluttered open before closing again.

“So you remember Titania, right?” Greil asked from his desk as Elena entered their room.

“Of course,” she smiled, “She’s such a hard worker and so sweet. We ought to invite her over some time; it’s been too long since we last chatted.”

“Well she’s been fostering these three brothers but they’re about to be adopted,” he explained quickly, tapping his knuckles against the hard wood of his desk as he went on, “And I told her about Soren and his situation.”

“She lives rather close by,” Elena added, “Oscar and Boyd go to the same school as our boys, don’t they?”

“Exactly,” Greil smiled, “I think she would be a good match. She even said she would love to meet him.”

***

“It’s so good to see you again!” Titania grinned as she brought Elena into a hug, “How have you been?”

The two chatted for a while, Titania holding and playing with Mist while Elena enjoyed Rolf’s company. Eventually the toddlers grew bored of the adults though and wiggled off their laps to go to Mist’s toy box. Oscar watched over the younger children from the couch, ‘reading’ a textbook but mostly getting distracted by Boyd’s antics.

“What are you reading?” Soren asked as he stood by the older boy.

“Science,” he sighed, bored out of his mind, “I rather read about history or even do math. But Miss Titania says I need to bring up my grade in science.”

***

Oscar, Boyd, and Rolf were adopted into a lovely family that made sure the boys could stay in touch with Titania. Once things were settled with the social workers, Soren was moved in with Titania but he still spent most of his time with Ike. Though, when Titania had enough of him running off, she insisted that Ike come over to their home.

Soren grumbled as he pushed food around his plate, having been denied a visit to Ike’s house.

“You spend all your time over there,” Titania huffed, “I know he’s your friend but you have to connect with other people. Your social worker found a nice couple that is interested in adopting. Do you want to meet them?”

“Where do they live?” he asked grumpily.

“One town over,” she sighed, “You would be in a different school system than Ike. But I think-”

“Then no,” he said shortly, continuing to push his dinner around.

“Well,” she took a deep breath, trying to keep calm in the face of a bitter child, “Maybe I could adopt you? Then you would-”

“No!” he shook his head rapidly, “You’re not my mom!”

Titania took another deep breath, reasoning with herself on why he was acting this way.

“Okay,” she finally responded as softly as she could, “I understand that. And it’s fine. But Soren, what do you expect to happen? What do you want?”

“I want to be with Ike,” he grumbled before laying his head on the table, giving up on eating.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over half way there!

Chapter 5

The boys grew and eventually made it into middle school. Soren remained with Titania but their relationship was strained at best. Despite her best efforts, she could never convince him that she was on his side. But her chances truly dwindled when she brought home a boyfriend.

“Alright, Soren,” she inhaled sharply, preparing herself, “This is Skrimir.”

Soren raised his eyes from the book in his lap and barely masked his disgusted look.

“You know a union between a beorc and laguz is a sin against the goddess,” he sneered, “Don’t you?”

“Soren Kurth!” Titania gasped, anger clear on her face while Skrimir gave a tiny huff of amusement.

“ _What?_ ” he raised his brows, glaring back at her.

“You will _not_ speak that way to me or anyone else,” she began lecturing before Skrimir laid his massive hands on her shoulders and began massaging them.

“It is okay,” he smiled toothily, “The tiny beorc means no harm. I am sure of it.”

***

“If he gets to stay for dinner,” Soren pointed accusingly at Titania’s boyfriend, “Can I at least invite Ike over?”

“The plan is to have a nice _family_ dinner together,” she deliberately explained.

“What? You don’t consider Ike family?” he asked, crossing his arms and popping out a sassy hip.

“This Ike sounds like a fine addition,” Skrimir grinned, giving Soren the thumbs up, “Invite your friend tiny beorc.”

“Stop calling me that,” he frowned before walking out of the living room.

***

After dinner, Soren and Ike escaped the adults into his bedroom. Soren had realized his feelings for Ike not long ago but was still debating sharing them with the other boy. Ike was a positive constant in his life that he didn’t want to risk losing.

“Hey Soren?” Ike called for his attention while they sat on the floor to watch a movie on Soren’s laptop.

“Yeah?” he called back, trying not to fall asleep on Ike’s shoulder.

“I think…” he started, obviously nervous, “Um…I think that you’re like…”

“Like what?” Soren sat up straighter, giving Ike his full attention.

“I think you’re really pretty,” Ike blushed heavily, gulping down his nerves.

Soren’s face turned a bright red, clear even in the dim light of the room, even with the flashing colors of the movie splashed across his face.

“I’m sorry,” Ike tried to recover, “I shouldn’t have said that. I just-”

“Is okay if I hold your hand?” Soren asked as bravely as he could, cutting off Ike’s apology.

“Uh, yeah,” Ike laughed airily, pulling Soren’s hand into his.

“For the record,” Soren whispered as he laid his head back onto his friend’s shoulder, “I think you’re really handsome.”

***

As the two boys grew older, their relationship and bond strengthened while Soren and Titania’s remained shaky. The two were in high school now but kept their relationship a secret from almost everybody. Mist only knew because she caught them snuggled against each other and holding hands. When she confronted the two, she was sworn to secrecy.

Skrimir had his suspicions since the two practically shared a smell but he kept his thoughts to himself, leaving the confession in Soren’s control.

“How is your friend, tiny beorc?” he asked casually when Soren came in from school.

“How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?” he glared, just about snarling at the laguz.

“I think you hate the name much less than you claim,” Skrimir simply chuckled at the boy.

“Yeah, well I hate you with every inch of my being,” Soren actually growled this time.

“Well at least that’s not a lot!” Skrimir laughed loudly.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's birthday it was today!

Chapter 6

Ike was nearly sprawled across Soren, his hand caressing Soren’s thighs while their tongues danced. Little gasps and moans escaped the two as they pressed closer and closer together. The teens were so wrapped up in their moment neither heard the door open when Titania came in to tell them lunch was ready.

“Soren Kurth and Ike Gawain!” she practically screamed, “What in the goddess’s name do you think you’re doing?”

The boys leapt away from each other, faces bright red and covering their laps.

“W-we were just um,” Ike stammered, trying to calm his raging hormones.

Titania tried to calm herself down, not wanting to cause a scene with Skrimir right down the hall. She tiredly rubbed her eyes and face while she tried to decide what to say to the two of them.

“Dining room.” She huffed, “Now.”

She left the door wide open as she walked away.

***

“So tiny beorc and friend _are_ together,” Skrimir remarked as he dug into his plate.

“Wait,” Titania grumbled, “You say that like you suspected as much.”

“Well,” he shrugged, “If they weren’t already together, I had a feeling they would end up together.”

“Oh my god,” Titania groaned as she placed her head in her hands. She glared at the two boys as they sat guiltily at opposite sides of the table. They both looked absolutely mortified, which brought Titania just a bit of satisfaction if she was being honest.

“I’m sorry,” Soren whispered, tears welling up in his eyes. He didn’t want her to know, he didn’t know if she would suddenly hate him for his orientation. He could already hear vile words being thrown at him.

“We should have been honest,” Ike added solemnly, not sure how to act in the situation.

“I’m not angry,” Titania breathed, rubbing her temples, “I’m just…I don’t know. Okay? I don’t know how to feel about the fact that you were dishonest with me and that I have no _idea_ what the two of you have been up to in that room! I don’t care that you’re together but I assumed there was no reason to worry about the door being open or shut!”

“Y-you don’t mind that I’m- we’re…” Soren asked softly, raising his head to gauge her reaction, tears softly falling.

“Of course I don’t,” she sighed, reaching over to gently wipe his cheeks.

Ike gently smiled at his boyfriend, a knowing look in his eyes. Skrimir patted Soren on his head.

“Tiny beorc worries too much,” he laughed.

***

It’d been several weeks but Titania still insisted on being a bother.

“Maybe we can go to my house,” Ike suggested softly after Titania pushed the door open with an unimpressed look.

“Maybe,” Soren grumbled back, his hand sneaking under Ike’s shirt to feel that taunt muscles while Ike went back to marking his collarbone.

***

Titania invited Elena and Greil over for dinner while Ike stayed home for ‘homework’. Once the four adults were seated at the table, Titania started to wonder where Soren was and why he hadn’t already joined them.

Not too long afterwards, Soren came out of his room and started towards the door.

“Where are you off to?” Titania asked, watching him closely.

“Out,” he replied shortly, grabbing his coat and car keys.

“Out where?” she pressed, suspicious of what he was planning.

“To a friend’s house,” he responded vaguely.

“I suspect tiny beorc is planning to see his boyfriend,” Skrimir added, personally tired of the game of tug-a-war.

“Oh I didn’t know you were seeing somebody,” Elena smiled brightly, turning in her seat to look at him, “I would’ve thought Ike would mention it.”

“Well I, um,” he stammered, just wanting to escape at this point.

“Will his parents be home?” Titania asked pointedly, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Yes,” he nodded once.

“Liar,” she grumbled.

“His sister is home,” he defended, trying to shrug off the accusation.

“His sister does _not_ count as an adult,” she said firmly, “You are _not_ allowed to go. You may join us for dinner or you may go to your room for trying to lie to me.”

“Oh my god,” he huffed, putting his keys and jacket back, “Why are you being so damn controlling? Am I not allowed to do things now?”

“Watch your mouth,” she snapped, “I am your mother and you will-”

“You are not my mother!” he yelled back, “You never have been and you never will be! So stop pretending you are and just get off my case already! Gods!”

He stomped back into his room while Titania reeled after his accusation. Greil and Elena looked shocked, watching as he stormed off, not sure who or how to comfort the two.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Soren was fuming, raging, and just a little hurt. He wanted to kick or break something but it sounded like a stupid idea so he put it off. He hadn’t been after a make out session. He wanted to hear a voice other than the ones in his head.

 _Not even your own mother loves you!_ His father mocked him.

 _He’s my baby!_ His mother cried.

 _Gross half-breed! You’re not welcome here!_ His fellow students laughed.

He locked himself in his bathroom, trying to find some kind of peace from the voices that plagued him.

 _Who do you think you are? Why would you say that? Why are you being so difficult?_ The quiet of the bathroom only seemed to make the voices louder and now Ike and Titania were even throwing punches. He huddled in the corner, curled up and tried to cover his ears.

 _Nobody wants you._ His father very calmly, very softly explained to him. _You mean nothing. Nobody will_ ever _want you. Why don’t you save us all the trouble and off yourself?_

Soren peaked through his arms and spotted a pocket knife he kept to open up new razor packages and such.

_Nobody wants you._

***

“I just don’t know what to do anymore,” Titania confessed, more drained than upset, “I’ve been doing the best I can.”

“I’m sure he doesn’t mean it darling,” Elena assured as she rubbed her back, “Teenagers say and do horrible things for what seems like no reason. We should know. Do you want to know what Mist said to us the other day?”

Greil chuckled at the memory before elaborating.

“She told us that she was grown enough that if she wanted to sleep with every boy in school, she could!”

“I was just trying to tell her that she should be smart about what she does with her boyfriend,” Elena sighed melodramatically.

“But it’s Soren,” Titania groaned, “I have a feeling that he means everything he says. He wants it to hurt.”

“He’s just trying to figure out where he stands in the world,” Skrimir assured her, “Did you ever see the footage during the trial?”

“No,” she shook her head before giving the man her full attention, “I figured Soren would tell me what he wanted me to know about it.”

“His mother had to be dragged out of there,” Greil explained, “Kicking and screaming. It was like she was seeing her son for the first time. That had to have an effect on him.”

Skrimir nodded solemnly with the others before he started to sniff the air, his ears twitching as he stood up abruptly.

“What’s wrong?” Titania asked but received no response. Skrimir was up and running to Soren’s room, pounding his fist on the locked door and yelling his name before he even thought about informing the others.

“I can smell blood,” he explained, trying to turn the handle again, “Soren! Open the door!”

“Blood?” Greil questioned before getting between the laguz and the door. He bashed his shoulder against the frail thing and busted it open.

Titania ran in first, realizing that the room was empty and the bathroom door shut. She tried to pull it open but it was also locked.

“Soren!” she begged as she pulled on the door, “Soren please! Open the door!”

She heard a groan from the other side before taking a step back and letting Skrimir rip it open. When she got inside, she nearly fainted. His thighs were shredded and he still clutched the bloody pocket knife in his hands while he cried.

“Oh my,” Elena had to take a few steps back from the scene, “Oh my god.”

“Soren!” Titania wept as she kneeled beside him, scooping him up in her arms and getting the knife out of his reach, “Baby, can you hear me?”

“I’m sorry,” he sniffled, trying to inch closer to her, shaking violently, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

***

The doctor suggested sending him to a psych ward but between her worry and Soren’s reaction to the suggestion, she decided on keeping him home.

“I want to visit my mother,” he confessed while they sat together in the living room.

“If that’s what you want,” she cleared her throat, “I’ll call and make sure you’re on her visitors list.”

“Thank you,” he whispered as he hugged his knees.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added another chapter but it's really only about half a page or so of extra.

Chapter 8

“Look how much you’ve grown,” Almedha cooed as she brought Soren into a hug.

“No physical contact!” a guard snapped. She released him quickly, throwing sad doe eyes at the man.

“You’re so big!” she continued to coo, “And handsome! Oh you look just like my brother! Have you talked to your uncles?”

“No,” he answered quietly, “I-”

“Oh that’s a shame,” she frowned, cutting him off, before smiling hopefully again, “What about your grandfather?”

“Not him either,” he shook his head.

“He would love to meet you,” she nodded to herself, “I’m sure of it. Thank you for visiting me. I don’t get many visitors.”

“Yeah,” he sighed, “It’s no problem.”

“You’ve grown so much,” she smiled happily, talking more to herself than him, “You should meet your grandfather.”

“Who else visits you?” Soren tried not to let his voice waver but it couldn’t be helped.

“Kurthnaga,” she shrugged, “But I think he’s fairly upset with me. Rajiaon saw me once when I first got placed here. He just seemed rather sad about the whole ordeal.”

“Ordeal?” Soren shriveled up his nose at the word.

“He told me I should’ve been a better mother,” she shrugged, picking at her nails, not even looking at him. It reminded him of when he was little and crying at her feet.

When she finally turned her attention back to him, she smiled broadly.

“My handsome boy,” she chuckled.

“Mother, I wanted,” he sighed through his nerves, “I wanted to ask you some things.”

She tilted her head at him, her long curls falling around her like a halo, motioning for him to continue. Soren couldn’t deny that she was a beautiful woman but whenever he looked at her, all he could see was the disgusted look she cast at him as a child.

“Why didn’t you ever stop my father?” he asked quietly, “No matter what he did. You just sat there, refusing to even acknowledge what was happening. He beat me right in front of you and you did _nothing_. You never stopped him, you never comforted me, you never denied his claims! Nothing! You did nothing.”

“What did you expect me to do?” she asked softly, eyes glazing over, “I knew he was stronger than me. He would have just killed the both of us.”

“He kicked me, he spat on me,” Soren continued his tirade, “He _threw_ me into the basement for _days_ , he made me touch him in ways a child shouldn’t know how to touch! You wouldn’t even acknowledge me when he had left the room; when it was just us!”

“Sir,” the officer came over to put his hand in front of Soren, “I’m going to have to ask you to lower your voice or you’ll be forced to leave.”

“I’m sorry,” Soren meekly nodded before glaring at his mother while the officer walked away, “I expected you to act like a mother.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way,” Almedha shook her head, portraying as little emotion as she could, “But there was nothing I could do then and nothing I _can_ do now.”

He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him, he starred at her, hoping that she would eventually show some kind of remorse. It never came, her face stayed blank and her eyes emotionless.

“Well,” Soren huffed as he stood up, “My father was right about one thing: you really don’t care.”

***

“How did it go?” Titania asked as Soren sat himself in the passenger seat.

He shook his head before the flood gates opened. Titania cooed and brought him into her arms, brushing her fingers through his hair and rubbing his back. He clung to her like the small child he felt he was.

“What happened?” she asked quietly, “What did she say?”

“She never cared!” he wailed, “After all these years, she still doesn’t think she could’ve done something! She didn’t even say she was sorry about what happened. Just sorry that I _feel_ the way I do.”

Titania tried to reign in her own rage over the situation. Soren deserved so much better than what those monsters gave him.

“Honey,” she softly called before she felt him putting distance between them.

“Can we please just go home?” Soren pulled away from her embrace, wiping his eyes on his sleeve and trying to put on a brave face.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

“Do they hurt?” Ike asked softly while they laid together, wearing shorts and tank tops to ward off the heat. His thumb brushed across the raised flesh of his boyfriend’s thigh.

“They’re healed Ike,” Soren huffed.

“Why didn’t you call me?” he asked, trying to make eye contact with the other boy, “You didn’t have to do… _that_.”

Soren took a heavy breath, rolling his eyes to himself.

“Don’t roll your eyes at me,” Ike huffed, raising himself to hover over Soren, bopping his nose before caressing his cheek, “You should have called or talked to Miss Titania or my mom. We all care about you so much.”

“I don’t need a lecture Ike,” Soren pushed himself up and away from Ike.

“I’m not trying to lecture you,” Ike frowned as he sat up as well, running his fingers through Soren’s long hair, “I’m trying to understand you. I knew you weren’t feeling great, but what happened? One minute you were coming over because you were stressed and the next, mom comes home to tell me you were in the hospital.”

Soren curled up on himself, pulling his knees to his chest.

“What happened?” Ike asked softly.

“I…I still hear…” Soren mumbled, trying to be open and honest, “...my father.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, his thumb rubbing small circles on Soren’s lower back.

“There are days that…I don’t know, I’m just in a bad place, and things that my…father…used to say to me repeat in my head. I’ve tried distracting myself by reading or cleaning but it doesn’t help.”

“Does Miss Titania know?” Ike carefully watched Soren’s face, trying to read his stony expression.

Soren shook his head, refusing to meet Ike’s eyes.

“I don’t know how I would even tell her.”

***

Titania read the newspaper on the couch, enjoying the quiet of the house. Skrimir was in the kitchen, cooking up dinner, chicken sizzled in the skillet while water boiled next to it. Silently, Soren entered the living room, his arms wrapped around himself as he looked around to spot Titania.

“Dinner is almost ready tiny beorc,” Skrimir hummed as he stirred the sauce.

Soren simply rolled his eyes before he went and sat next to Titania.

“What’s up hon?” Titania smiled at the boy, setting the paper aside.

“I wanted to talk to you about something,” he started, chewing on his lip and pulling at his sleeve, “It’s kind of hard to say though.”

“You can tell me anything,” she hummed, tucking his long bangs behind his ear.

“I have bad days,” he started slowly, “Really…bad days. And sometimes, it’s like that little devil and angel on your shoulder but there is no angel and the devil is my father and he says…well he says lots of things.”

“Things…like…” Titania tried to fill the blanks in herself, worried she’d push the boy away if she pried too much, “Like what?”

“My father used to tell me how unwanted I was,” Soren pulled his knees to his chest, tucking himself into a tiny ball, “He would hurl insults and names at me. All day sometimes. Some of the things he said have kind of stuck. Sometimes he would...”

"Take your time hon," Titania whispered.

She watched him shake beside her as he gathered himself and his thoughts. She gently wrapped her arm around him and rubbed his shoulder while she waited for him to decide what to say.

"He would beat me in front of my mother," he forced the words out, tasting the bitterness of each one, "Tell me to watch her reaction to what he was doing to me."

“And your mother?” her voice matched the quiet volume of his, speaking like you would to a scared animal, “What would she do?”

“Nothing,” his eyes were downcast, trying to be honest but not wanting to think too hard about the truth, “She would look away and pretend I wasn’t there.”

“So why did you want to see her?” Titania winced at her tone when she saw Soren try to fold in on himself more, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I wanted to know why,” he confessed before shrugging and rolling his eyes at himself, “Not that I got any answers from her. I was hoping that she had cared. That she felt…something.”

“It’s okay to want an explanation,” she tried to assure him as she continued to rub his shoulder, “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen you hurting and wanted to march up to your father and- well, land myself behind bars probably.”

Soren huffed a short laugh at her while he shook his head.

“Honey, I want you to know,” she gently turned his face to catch his eyes, “No matter what, I love you and you are wanted.”

***

Before long, Soren found himself opening up to Titania more often than not. He willingly told her if he was upset and what about. He sought her out when he was having a bad day, seeking the simple comfort of a hug.

One afternoon, Titania was greeted with an unfamiliar sight. Soren was cooking dinner, flowers were arranged all over the dining table, and Skrimir seemed to be holding a conversation with the boy without either of them appearing offended.

“Oh you’re home,” Soren gave a tiny frown, “I was hoping I would have this ready before you got here. It’ll just be a few more minutes.”

“What’s all this for?” she couldn’t help but chuckle at the unusual set up.

“I um…” Soren pursed his lips before turning off the stove and coming over to her, “I wanted to make it up to you. For being here, for going along with me seeing her, for accepting me, for wanting me, and…and to apologize.”

“Apologize?” she questioned as she put her coat up.

“I’m sorry for those awful things I said to you,” he grimaced, “For _all_ the awful things I’ve said to you. I guess a small part of me still wanted to believe that Almedha did care, but I know now that you were the one that truly did. I want to thank you for…being…my mother.”

Titania could feel tears welling up in her eyes as she pulled him into an embrace.

“And I wanted to ask you something else,” he cleared his throat, pulling away for just a second, “Would you still be willing to adopt me?”

She nodded happily as she hugged him again, his arms firmly around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed it! Thank you for the comments and I hope you'll come back and read some of my other works!

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are always appreciated! Please let me know what you think! And thank you for reading!


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